For the moment, Wild Beasts may remain a group cherished by a small but growing fanbase, but Smother is a work that will be difficult for even the most passionate of resisters to reject.
It’d be reductive to try and describe a timeless album like Smother as a step up from its two predecessors.
Smother is touching and majestic, a surprise of juxtaposition that is at once both plaintive and emotional, strident and libidinous.
A not-entirely-minimalist record, but one that scales back every element of its songwriting enough that each note seems precious.
‘Smother’ is deeply sad and lonely, but still a barbed invitation to intimacy; like Coleridge’s albatross, an extraordinarily elegant, stunning, (near)-perfect portrait of how terribly bad decisions can turn out.
‘Smother’ does exactly what it suggests but with a poetic fragility and an exacting panache that enthrals and entices like never before. An essential album.
Poised as hyper-indulgent fellas, Smother is a startlingly controlled album, one that's exactly as smooth and smoldering as its moniker posits.
Similar to the early work of the fellow art-damaged horndogs in The Faint, Smother is musically engaging and naughty without coming across as juvenile or ribald. Given enough time, it seems destined to take its rightful place among indie-rock’s great humping albums.
What makes this all work so well is the remarkable amount of restraint and rhythmic know-how these four employ.
Smother isn't conventional chart material, but will make their burgeoning cult impossible to ignore.
Smother sees this singular and intriguing group still on the ascendant--limiting notions of normal music notwithstanding.
Three gems ... shine just a little brighter than those they sit among.
Every track is a case study in masterful composition, as each disparate musical element is seamlessly integrated into its respective song.
Smother is an exercise in moderation, trying to find the precise balance between audacious beauty and emotional intelligence.
Smother may lack the proper drive of Two Dancers, but it succeeds in whittling down what has become Wild Beasts’ motif.
Maybe it's because we've come to expect these guys to knock us out with each album, but Smother can't help but feel like a misstep.
As Wild Beasts records tend to go, Smother is par for the course in terms of its opulent eccentricities and its magnificently polished arrangements. This time around, though, the Beasts have been tamed. Frankly, that's a disappointment.
But overall, Smother seems to be missing purpose.
Bueno... las vibras mas al final me llegaron mas pero no es un album que me incite a volver a escuchar
indie pop, brilliantly written songs faultlessly sung, catchy tunes yet stirring lyrics, great production
There is a notable change from the first two albums and it's good. A lot of their sound feel more balanced and hayden was finally able to totally channel with the songs pace. A good introducer before present tense (which I think is their best album).
Bueno... las vibras mas al final me llegaron mas pero no es un album que me incite a volver a escuchar
1 | Lion's Share 4:14 | 84 |
2 | Bed of Nails 4:18 | 91 |
3 | Deeper 3:01 | 91 |
4 | Loop the Loop 4:06 | 89 |
5 | Plaything 4:21 | 89 |
6 | Invisible 2:58 | 81 |
7 | Albatross 3:12 | 91 |
8 | Reach a Bit Further 3:36 | 88 |
9 | Burning 4:44 | 66 |
10 | End Come Too Soon 7:33 | 90 |
#2 | / | BBC |
#3 | / | musicOMH |
#4 | / | DIY |
#4 | / | NME |
#7 | / | The Fly |
#8 | / | The Quietus |
#8 | / | Uncut |
#9 | / | Slant |
#10 | / | MOJO |
#12 | / | Gigwise |